by Igor Kossov

When it comes to editorial cartoons in the Bush era, one in particular pops up on your radar, especially if you live on the East Coast and didn’t vote for the child-president. Every week, from the pages of the New York Press, the Baltimore City Paper, and www.thepaincomics.com, cartoonist Tim Kreider presents: “The Pain: When will it end?”

Many liberal cartoons claim to be unapologetic, but few are as shocking or absurd. Picture a Mardi Gras clad George W on the flooded streets of New Orleans, crowing “Show yer tits!” Picture a man with a hazmat suit and a fizzy drink rejoicing about New York rent finally going down due to another terrorist attack. Kreider is frequently the star of his own comic, a world-shocked, self-deprecating American struggling to deal with the ceaseless march of current events. The strips feature a regular cast of characters—the author and his real life friends, as well as the major players in the Bush administration, but there is little continuity between strips, which leaves room for fresh commentary.